Principles of Attraction
by kel.kel.153
Summary: -"I –I'm not attracted to you!" she spluttered, for once lost for an appropriate retort, "I've got better taste than that!"   Scorpius/Rose. Rated T for language
1. Ch 1: Isn't it obvious?

Principles of Attraction

At half-past noon, Rose decided that she had enough. Enough of loud, annoying, boy-cousins and their loud, annoying friends, and their seemingly _endless_ talk of Quidditch. Enough of the other third year girls and their excited chatter of the most _mundane_ things (like the aforementioned boys and makeup). All she really wanted to do was curl up in an empty compartment and peruse her copy of Hogwarts: A History.

So she did. After a while of gathering her things, wandering up and down the corridors and begging Roxanne (who was now a _prefect_) with her sweetest voice to help her be rid of those troublesome cousins, Rose settled down smugly on the nice, roomy seat cushion and prepared to crack open her treasured tome when an unwelcome voice interrupted her.

"Ahh, finally away from the relatives are we, Weaselette?" the boy smirked.

Rose didn't have to look up to respond.

"Get out Malfoy."

"So rude, what would your mother say?" he chastised.

"Actually, Malfoy," she turned to smile at him innocently, "My mother said that if you were being a prat, I could feel free to give you a punch in the face. I believe she did exactly that to your father in her third year too," That shut Scorpius up, "Or hex you into next Tuesday," she pretended to look thoughtful, "Whichever you prefer."

"You wouldn't," he scoffed.

"Oh, and Uncle Harry taught me this neat spell that turns you into a ferret. A bouncing ferret. He seemed to be hinting that I should try it out on you," she added, a malicious glint in her eye as she surveyed him again.

Scorpius managed to do the unthinkable and paled even further.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Rose asked irritably, slamming her book shut, "Get. Out. Malfoy, before I curse you straight to the infirmary!"

He looked at her curiously for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"What the bloody hell are you laughing about?" Now she was stuck with a _crazy_, annoying twit.

"Ah…" he wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye, and sat down, much to Rose's chagrin, right beside her, "Isn't it obvious?"

"_What's_ obvious?" she demanded through gritted teeth, while one hand reached into her pocket for her wand.

"You're attracted to me, _duh_!" he gave a goofy grin.

"WHAT!" she actually dropped Hogwarts: A History. On his foot.

"Ow! You have to admit it, you are just _so_ attracted to my superior Malfoy looks," he wiggled his eyebrows in what he thought was a seductive fashion, "Simply infatuated."

"I –I'm not _attracted_ to you!" she spluttered, for once lost for an appropriate retort, "I've got better taste than that!"

"Psh. You're hurting my feelings!" he said in mock offense.

"Good," she muttered darkly, "Might deflate your oversized head a bit."

"Come on! Don't try to deny it," he got up and leaned against the glass door, smirking suggestively.

"You insufferable, egotistic _prig_, Malfoy, I'm surprised you can still strut around with that fat head of yours! You know, girls aren't exactly throwing themselves at your feet, so stop acting like you're Merlin's gift to women!" That wasn't exactly true. Rose very well knew that the certain young male in front of her had been the subject of at least 17 crushes –and in just her year alone. No need to stoke his ego though, she thought.

"I'm not? Why –"

"Shut up and get out."

"If you so desire, milady," he gave an exaggerated bow, "But there is no use denying it, for our love was meant to be!" he proclaimed dramatically.

"What rubbish is this?"

"Well Weasley…" he said, speaking as though to a child, "You're a _Weasley_, and _I'm_ a _Malfoy_."

"Uh, so?"

"Doesn't that mean that by all the clichés in the book, we should be madly in love, and engaged in a tumultuous, forbidden romance sometime soon?"

"No! What _are_ you smoking?"

"You know, the halfblood and the pureblood, the children of sworn enemies become star-crossed lovers, the social outcast bookworm falls for the charming, handsome, Slytherin Prince who –"

"Are you serious? Have you been digging around James' room with Al again?"

"What? No! It's the oldest story –"

"What happened to the 'Wonder why your father married that Mudblood; is he really so desperate to be willing to taint his blood –wait, no, it's not like the Weasley's blood was ever clean' Malfoy?" she demanded incredulously.

"Er, yeah, about that –"

"Just, get out, I swear –" she began in her most threatening voice, and aimed her wand straight at his face, "I can't possibly bear your temporary insanity anymore. And I don't have any qualms about hexing your precious nose right off."

"You'll see, Weasley, Fate always wins out in the end," he grinned, one foot out of the door, still grinning as he sidestepped the first ominous streak of violet that whipped by his ear, "You'll see."

_Malfoys_, Rose thought angrily, Mum was right: arrogant, egotistic, and absolutely _infuriating_ to the last degree. Not to mention crazy, and evil. Must be all the inbreeding.

She gently picked up the fallen book, desperate to savour the few precious hours she had left, even though she somehow already knew the image of a certain smirking blond would ultimately drive her distraction. Blond, with those smoldering grey eyes…

Wait. Did Scorpius Hyperion _Malfoy_ just declare his love for her? _Her? _Rose Weasley? She pondered the possibilities for a moment, before snapping back to reality and shaking her head in disgust.

The world must be going mad, she decided. That had to be it.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! My first Scorpius/Rose fic: this is for you…er…well, you know who you are! :}**

**Please review!**


	2. Ch 2: Yet You Still Deny It

**Principles of Attraction**

**Chapter 2 – Yet You Still Deny It**

"Budge up Cynthia," Rose grumbled as she wiped her muddy boots on the carriage floor.

"_There_ you are," the friend in question replied, quickly lifting her robes and shifting on the seat.

"What do you mean, did you think I'd disappeared?"

"You _did_ disappear."

"Oh."

"So I thought you'd been with Lily and Hugo," she explained.

"Right. Darn it, I forgot about them," Rose groaned, "Mum's gonna give me an earful."

"So…" Cynthia leaned closer and whispered, a wicked grin on her face.

"So what?" she replied warily, all too aware of what that smile foretold.

"What'd you do with Scorpius on the train?" she teased, grin growing wider.

"No! What? Nothing –What do you –How did you –?" she spluttered, feeling the colour rise in her cheeks. What did she do to deserve this humiliation?

"Aha! So you admit it!"

"No! No, no, no, no! I –" she stopped at the amused stares from the other girls in the carriage, "Er…"

"Sorry girls," Cynthia apologised cheerfully, "Gryffindor girl talk, be best if you didn't listen!" Slowly, and with curious looks, the others (_Ravenclaws_) turned away.

"Okay, so what happened?"

"Nothing? What makes you think that?"

Cynthia raised an eyebrow in disbelief and said, "Well, let's see. You disappear on the train for some 'reading time', Albus starts bugging me about where his mate, our dear Scorpius Malfoy is –like he thinks I _ate_ him or something– then Scorpius reappears, looking dangerously self-satisfied, and now you're here, all annoyed and irritable. It's not too hard to piece the clues together, besides, I know you far too well."

"Yeah right. Remind me why I'm friends with you?"

"Whyever not? Anyway, you're avoiding my question."

"Fine."

"Well?"

"Er…let's see…I was reading, or going to, then Malfoy barged in, so I told him to get out –"

"You told Malfoy to get out when he _willingly_ went to find you –in an empty compartment?" she whisper-shrieked incredulously.

"Yup."

"You. Are. Hopeless!" she groaned.

"I'm thirteen!" Rose protested.

"Good point…continue?"

"Well, um, he didn't leave, so I sorta threatened him," Cynthia buried her head in her hands amid stifled giggles, "Then he shut up, but started laughing, _laughing!_ Like an idiot, and said I was attracted to him. Attracted! To him!"

"Are you?"

"No!" Rose wailed.

"Hmm, what a shame! How could you not? Those gorgeous grey eyes, and –"

"And _then_ he started spouting off some nonsense about our 'love' being meant to be," she continued, gladly interrupting the rant on Malfoy's beauty.

"He did?"

"He _said_ he wasn't high on anything but I'm not too sure about that."

"You are one lucky bitch, Rose Weasley! So damn lucky! Why, if I were you –"

"You would've pinned the poor boy against the wall and snogged him senseless, I'm sure," Rose finished dryly.

"Yes," Cynthia agreed dreamily, "Who wouldn't?"

"Me?"

"You. You need to get off your high hippogriff and smell the roses, my dear friend."

"Mhmm."

"So are you attracted to him? It would be the absolutely _perfect, cutest_ couple, ever! Star crossed lovers…"

"No. Don't. Say. That. That's what _he_ said!"

"It was? Omigosh! Even more perfect!"

"I don't like him! Get a grip Cynthia! He's my cousin's best friend, he's a Slytherin, he's an arrogant, conceited prat –"

"And he's dead gorgeous."

"That too, but –" Rose stopped, suddenly aware of those horrifying words she let slip.

"…"

"…"

"Oh look, it's time to get off the carriages. See you Rose!" Cynthia called, eyes dancing with mirth.

"Yeah, uh, I'll just…go now," Rose stammered, quite unnerved, and hugely relieved by the timely end of the journey to Hogwarts.

After the usual hustle and bustle and excitement and chatter upon entering the Great Hall, the students settled down in their appropriate House tables, glad to be back after a summer apart.

Rose found herself squished up against Lucy and Albus and the rest of the Weasley-Potter clan, as per custom. Albus was currently twisted in his seat to face Scorpius at the Slytherin table, and they seemed engaged in a furious debate about…something. Rose was trying her best to ignore the patch of silvery-blond hair in the corner of her eye, while Cynthia, all the way down the table, was smiling and glancing constantly back and forth between the two of them.

The first years entered, looking small and nervous as always, and Rose scanned the crowd to give Hugo and Lily a quick wink.

The Sorting began –Flitwick pulled out a scroll of parchment even longer than last years, and began calling their names. "Boot", "Macmillan", and "Montague" caught her attention, but only because she heard her parents mention them while telling stories of their own Hogwart's days.

"Potter, Lily," little Professor Flitwick cried out happily.

An obvious hush fell over the hall as students and teachers alike perked up their ears at the famous name. Lily look frankly terrified as she stepped up. Exactly 1 minute, eighteen seconds later (James timed), the Hat shouted "Gryffindor" and they all rose up in thunderous applause.

At "Weasley, Hugo", Rose quickly crossed her fingers her luck, but she really needn't have. Barely five seconds had passed after the Hat was dropped, and Hugo was declared a Gryffindor (_he_ was a Weasley all the way). Everyone applauded, Flitwick carried off the stool and the Hat, the food appeared and the feast began.

"Congratulations Weasley," Malfoy drawled, somehow slipping soundlessly right beside them.

"Er, thanks," Hugo squeaked, and shook the proffered hand.

"I'm sure you're pleased, Weasley?" he asked Rose politely, which wasn't a very smart thing to do, as half the table turned around.

"Yes, _thank you_ Malfoy," she replied, growing red from the curious looks of the others.

What did Malfoy mean by this? First the bizarre conversation on the train, then actually _congratulating_ Hugo? Was he actually going crazy, or suffering from some unusual spell damage, or could he…? No, she thought firmly, She couldn't, _wouldn't_ go there –Malfoy just couldn't really be _flirting_. Why was she thinking so much about him anyway? Damn Cynthia, this was all her doing.

He was a Malfoy. Malfoy's didn't flirt.

She was…Rose. She didn't crush on guys; _definitely_ not guys like him. Guys like him were just an unfortunate aspect of life.

She turned around to glare at the back of the little git's head, but surprise, surprise! He was facing her already.

She glared.

He smiled, and mouthed "_Yet you still deny it_," triumphantly.

She narrowed her eyes and glared harder. Psh. There was nothing to deny.

He turned back to his plate, and picked up a fork to start on the sticky toffee pudding.

In a moment of sudden inspiration, Rose pulled out her wand and shot a quick charm at the plate. Satisfied, she hurriedly turned around to eat her own food.

Soon the expected laughs and shrieks of fright from the girls erupted from the Slytherin table, as somewhere along it, a poor pudding suffered a not quite so untimely, but still, ultimately, rather brutal demise. Along with everyone else, Rose turned back around to revel in the hilarious sight of the dignified Scorpius picking sticky clumps out of his hair.

She smiled.

Small victories.

**A/N: Hope you liked the new chapter! This is the 'sequel', and I'm planning to write a **_**few**_** more chapters –just for all you Scorpius/Rose shippers!**

**Rose and the Weasley/Potter's are all Gryffindors…because in the end you'd think they'd want to be together in the house their parents were all in, right? Like, who cares about individuality? Scorpius is obviously in Slytherin. It just wouldn't work any other way. **

**Thanks a lot to all my lovely reviewers, and wonderful readers who put me on Story Alert or Favourite Story! You guys always inspire me. Special thanks to Reppad98!**

**Review!**


	3. Ch 3: I'm Not A Seer!

**Principles of Attraction**

**Chapter 3 - I'm not a Seer!**

A bit of a commotion was happening at the Gryffindor house table during breakfast. Rose had suddenly jumped up, knocked over a jug of pumpkin juice, and shrieked "What?" in a most indignant way.

"Are you okay?" Joanna asked gently, looking up from her plate.

"Here," Cynthia, after poking the unmoving Rose, reached up and grabbed the item that was the cause of all the sudden strife. "WHAT?"

"Oh stop being such a drama queen," Actaea snapped impatiently, holding her hand out. Cynthia dropped the sheet of parchment obediently, still seemingly speechless and dazed. Brow furrowed slightly, she perused the paper, but instead of shouting out in surprise, she merely raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Really, what –" Joanna started to say.

"You're taking _Divination_, Rose?" Cynthia shouted.

"Oh."

Actaea rolled her eyes, "No need to proclaim it to the world, oops, wait, you already did."

"It can't –I didn't –Professor Longbottom!" Rose picked up the timetable and waved it like a flag.

"Yes Miss Weasley?" he turned around from a group of hyperventilating fifth-years.

"Um, Professor, my timetable has Divination listed in 3rd period on Mondays, but I'm only supposed to be taking Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures!"

"Huh," he looked at it curiously, "Are you sure that's what you chose last year?"

"Yes!" she wailed, "Why on earth would I choose Divination? I mean, not that it's _bad_ or anything, but…"

"I understand Rose, my own, er, _experiences_ with that particular subject haven't been very enlightening either." Joanna giggled.

"But whatever mistake it is, you'll be able to fix it soon, _right_?"

"Of course. But it _will_ take a few weeks at the least to sort out the problem."

"Weeks? I'm stuck doing Divination for the next few _weeks_?"

"'Fraid so. Oh, don't worry, Rose, maybe you'll find you'll even enjoy it!" he said, winking.

Rose groaned, staring forlornly at the wretched parchment.

"Cheer up Rosie!" Joanna said brightly, "You'll be with us for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, right? Plus I'll be all alone at Care of Magical Creatures too."

"And _I'm _stuck with _Actaea_ for _Muggle Studies_!" added Cynthia,

"Good point –I'm stuck with _Cynthia _for Muggle Studies."

"Fine, fine, maybe I am just overreacting," she admitted, "It's not like it's a total disaster of my academic career, right? Hehe…apart from that it just totally messed up my study schedule, and –Merlin! Good mother of god –that _bastard_!"

"Come again?"

"James –that slick bastard –I'll _kill_ him!" she growled, gaining a positively murderous glint in her eye.

"What did James do?" Actaea asked.

Rose ignored her. "Of course, it was _him_ –evil prat –"

And with those wise words of farewell, she stalked toward the eldest Potter brother, the recently given timetable rolled up and clenched tightly in one hand like a blade.

* * *

><p>By the time third period Divination came along, Rose was in a relatively happy mood. Her summer revision of all the textbooks had so far proved adequate for Charms and Herbology. She had spotted both Hugo and Lily socialising with some fellow first years (which was good; she did <em>not<em> want to do some younger sibling counselling). Scorpius was blessedly absent. Best of all, James still flinched every time they passed in the halls.

Professor Trelawney's room was certainly…different. That was the first thing she thought of as she ascended the silver ladder through the trapdoor. Perhaps the heady perfume and teashop-esque furniture was meant to enhance the atmosphere? The other students already inside were seated in pairs, so Rose hesitantly sat down too beside a Hufflepuff she recognized.

"Hi Rose!"

"Hey Sue."

"So you're taking Divination too?"

"Yeah, I wasn't supposed to but Ja –must be some organizational mistake, so I guess I'm stuck here for now."

"Oh. I wonder where Trelawney is?" she twisted around to peer curiously at the various shadowed nooks in the tower.

"Susan-Marie Perks," a soft voice whispered right behind her, "You are well, I hope?"

"Yes –Yes Professor," she squeaked. The rest of the woman slowly appeared, proving she was more than a detached voice.

In a scratchy, slightly louder voice, she addressed the class. "Welcome, everyone, to the noble art of Divination. Together, we shall broaden the horizons of our Inner Eye, and journey on an adventure to the arcane. Hopefully by the end of the term, we shall each begin to understand and interpret the signs from the greater workings of the universe…" She continued in that direction for an exorbitantly long time, until Rose felt affected by a powerful soporific force unheard of outside of Professor Binns' class.

"Rose," Susan hissed, pulling on the sleeve of her robes, "Rose, we're getting started now."

"Oh, 'kay…" she stifled an enormous yawn and reached into her bag for the textbook, before realizing it wasn't there. "Um, Sue, mind if I share your textbook?"

"No problem," the Hufflepuff smiled and nudged her own book closer towards Rose on the doilied table, "There's the teapot, here, I'll pour you a cup."

"A cup of tea…?"

"Now remember everyone," Trelawney spoke as though answering her question, "After only the dregs are left, swish it twice counter-clockwise with your left hand and then consult pages 8 to 23 in your books. I shall be coming around to assist you if necessary."

"Cross, trials and suffering, crow, ill-fated endeavours –lovely thing, fortune telling, isn't it?" Sue commented, flipping curiously through the book.

"Mmm," Rose mumbled, sipping her own tea quickly, "Now I just turn the cup twice, right?"

"No, no," a voice said sarcastically, "You're _supposed_ to add three sugar cubes and a drop of your blood and wait for the _camellia sinensis_ to spell out your fate."

"Ha ha, very funny Malfoy," she turned towards him, near the back of the room where he sat shrouded in shadow with a boy from Slytherin she didn't recognize. Damn that stalker.

"Keep telling yourself that," he raised his own teacup as though in a toast and took a delicate sip.

"You know him well?" Sue asked excitedly.

"Er, not exactly. He's my cousin's best friend –bloody annoying prat," she mumbled, unsure of who she meant by 'annoying.' Both, she decided.

"Oh."

Feeling incredibly awkward, she looked down at her empty teacup. "Let's see…this blob looks sorta like a …er…maybe a candle-flame-y thing? That's a foot, no, a _boot_, I'm sure, and that's definitely a squirrel."

"Are you sure?" Sue laughed, "Candle can mean an unexpected opportunity, most likely good. Fire, on the other hand, is sudden destruction. Boots are…yes here, um, fear of authority interference and anticipation."

"That made…no sense at all."

"Didn't really expect it to. Oh, and there's nothing in here about squirrels. Sorry to disappoint."

"Aww, it was a cute squirrel. No really!"

"Yes yes, I'm sure," Sue rolled her eyes.

Their good-natured, casual banter was (most rudely) interrupted by the professor's loud cry of "Goodness! What do we have here, Mr…?"

"Malfoy," Scorpius replied imperiously.

"Indeed. Would you care to share your observations with the class?"

"Uh, certainly," he sat up straighter in his pouf and cleared his throat.

"My tealeaves, in this direction, looks rather like a bunny, no, a deer, doe? A doe represents," he ran a finger down the thick parchment page, "A hidden desire or secret that will reveal itself in due time, usually of a, a _romantic_ nature…"

"Excellent, continue my dear," the elderly woman prompted.

"In this direction, there's a pair of scales," Scorpius continued, "Meaning passed judgement: opinions and intentions will become clear. And here is a, erm, crescent moon. Oh no, it's a –"

"A scythe, dear."

"Yes, a scythe, which is," he gulped and nervously brushed a strand of hair from his face, "Punishment or grievous injuries at a most inconvenient time, usually fully deserved."

A wave of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' and gasps and giggles rippled across the classroom.

Professor Trelawney waved her hand around vaguely in annoyance. "Let me –give me your cup, Mr. Malfoy," she held out a lined and veined hand, and he quickly handed it over. "Hmm, excellent, simply excellent! You have a very good eye for reading the signs, my dear boy. Perhaps your Inner Eye is shining through?"

"Uh…"

"Yes, scales, scythe, and –oh my!" she shrieked, dropping the delicate china teacup on the floor. Everyone instinctively leaned closer in excitement, and Scorpius stiffly bent over to pick it up.

Trelawney raised a shaking finger to point at Malfoy. "You have the _Grim_," she whispered ominously, "The worst sign. The sign of _death_."

Semi-terrified silence ensued.

"_Oh really_," Rose thought, "_What a load of old tosh_." Why was it that her mother was _always_ right?

"Well, it seems you really are a Seer," she said cheerfully, effectively breaking the tension.

"I'm not a Seer," he muttered, "Not a Seer…"

"Are you sure, Scorpius?" The Slytherin friend asked in that typical Slytherin way, treading the line between seriousness and sarcasm.

"Of course, psh," he spat, "The _Malfoys_ were never Seers, and it's just a load of rubbish, all of this."

"Well, you never know."

"Shut up Fleetwood. Who could inflict punishment or injuries on _me_?"

"A woman, perhaps," he replied wisely, eyes twinkling.

* * *

><p>"Do you think he'll be all right?" Susan asked anxiously as she and Rose descended the Divination Tower.<p>

"Malfoy, you mean?"

"Yeah, I mean, I know you think Trelawney's a…fraud and that Divination's just superstition and guesswork, but sometimes they can be _real_," she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "And everyone knows the Malfoys have lots of enemies."

Rose skipped down the stairs three at a time, not yet answering.

"Oh Rose," Sue hurried after her, "Really!"

"Well, who _cares_ if he dies a horrible death?"

Sue pursed her lips disapprovingly.

Rose started laughing, quiet giggles at first, then loud chuckles of mirth. The idea of Scorpius dying a horribly painful death was just way too funny.

Oh no.

She was _laughing_. Laughing out loud while thinking of Scor–_Malfoy_. Just randomly! The action was unnervingly similar to what _he_ did just the other day.

This was bad. So very, very bad.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So what does Rose exactly think of Scorpius? I'm not so sure either, but she'll always have her wonderful (and such _helpful_) Gryffindor gal-pals to help her realize her feelings. This is just a sort of in-between chapter, more action (and drama!) will happen soon, promise! Hope you liked my OCs!**

**As always, thanks to all the lovely reviewers –you guys rock! Speaking of which, if you put the story on Story Alert of Favourites, can you please, _please_ tell me what you think? *hint hint nudge nudge***

**Review!**


	4. Ch 4: The Truth Will Out

**Principles of Attraction**

**Chapter 4 – The Truth Will Out**

It was a lovely September day, not one you would usually find in northern Britain at that time of year. The sun was shining, birds were happily chirping, and the lake's surface was smooth and shimmering blue. It was just another perfect day to laze around on the grounds under a nice shady tree with friends, perhaps sipping some pumpkin juice as well.

Naturally, this meant that Rose was holed up in the castle library, dragging her friends with her.

"Why are we here anyway?" Joanna wondered wistfully, her head resting on a thick book, staring out the window.

"To keep ahead on our homework, because even though it's a Sunday, your essays aren't finished yet, and they're not going to be writing themselves! So you'd better hurry up and get a proper work ethic before our OWL year," snapped Cynthia in an uncanny imitation of Rose.

"Yeah, yeah, what she said," the real Rose muttered.

"Oh shut up Cynthia, _you_ still have to write that comparison of Muggle weapons thing," Actaea said in her usual patronizing tone. Cynthia stuck out her tongue at her, but dutifully returned to her work.

"Rose, you're done right? Can't you help me, _please_?" Joanna begged, "We all know how much you _love_ to proofread."

"I'm not done."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Stupid divination homework."

"Ahh, of course."

"I thought it was just a temporary course?" asked Actaea.

"This is _Rose_ we're dealing with," Cynthia pointed out.

"Right."

"Gah!"

"Anger issues much?"

"Hmm, Rose, you do seem to be exceptionally short-tempered now."

"It's just this bloody fortune-telling load of –!"

"Whoa! Almost swearing? What's driving you so loopy Rosie? What are those tealeaves predicting?" Joanna interrupted just in time.

"Actually…" she confessed, blushing slightly, "I think my _tealeaves_ want me to hook up with some guy. There's always this sign for a dark, mysterious stranger followed by either unexpected windfall or wedded bliss, or some other jibberish, always!"

"Always?"

"Yes! Like, what the hell? It's so silly, but people actually believe in it, and the more you read about it, the more_ believable_ it becomes; which is just preposterous, of course, but I have to do some extra research just in case –" she paused mid-rant to take a breath, "Cuz I can't have _Trelawney_ of all people thinking I'm incompetent, though I really shouldn't, and she already thinks Scorpius Malfoy's some sort of Seer or just exceptionally affected by those 'forces', really!"

"What a pile of rubbish!" Cynthia exclaimed dramatically.

"Mmmhmm," Actaea mumbled, not even listening and choosing instead to peruse the latest copy of Witch Weekly.

"It's your insufferable work policy, I suppose," Joanna said wisely, and proceeded to tug back the magazine, "Oh, is Acromantula silk coming back?"

"Wait, did you say Scorpius is in your Divination class?" Cynthia demanded suddenly.

"Yes…why?"

"Nothing…"

* * *

><p>Later that evening, the lovely, virtuous Rose Weasley, in a weakened state from three hours of continuous studying, was mercilessly ambushed in the Gryffindor common room and dragged to the dormitories, by her three closest friends no less.<p>

"Ouch! Stop dragging me up the stairs –it hurts you know!" she demanded crossly.

"We're not dragging," Joanna corrected, "We're assisting you up the stairs."

"Forcefully," added Actaea, scowling from the effort.

"And –ow! Why is this necessary again?" Rose asked, cursing as her schoolbag came loose and scattered all her belongings.

"Well," Joanna explained, together with Actaea setting Rose down on her bed, "We're going to help you with your boy troubles!"

"What? No –I don't have any –" she protested.

"We heard that you've been having _problems_ with a certain blond," Actaea elaborated dramatically.

"Uh, Hanson?"

"No! Scorpius Malfoy, of course."

"What! I don't have any problems, or _anything_ really to do with _him_," her feeble protests were met with disbelieving stares. "Really! I –Cynthia! You told them?"

The blond witch emerged from the doorway, schoolbag in hand. She shrugged. "What'd you expect?"

"Still, you can't help me if there's nothing wrong with me, which, there isn't, therefore you can't help me. So let's just get back to the common room now."

"Not so fast. Come on, we're trying to help!"

"Hmm…" Rose glanced between her friends and the door, "Fine then." She sat back down and crossed her arms, clearing not wanting to be helped.

"Fabulous!" Cynthia gushed, and the three of them each took a seat on their own beds. "Now, what do you _really_ think about Scorpius?"

"Yes, physically –how attractive do you think he is?"

"Ooh yes, we could rate his attractiveness, and everyone else's too!"

"Can we _please_ not use the word 'attractive'?" Rose muttered weakly.

"Sure, but you have to answer our question," agreed Joanna.

"Okay, let's see…"

"Wait!" Actaea shouted, and quickly conjured up a clipboard and quill from (seemingly) nowhere. "Okay, go on."

"He's good-looking, handsome, I guess," she began hesitantly, then more confidently at Joanna's excited nods, "Nice hair, you know, all soft and fluffy and blond…erm…"

"What would you rate him, from one to ten?" Actaea prompted, while her quill whizzed over the parchment avidly taking notes.

"Uh…eight, maybe nine?"

"Only? Stop it Rose, we all know he's a ten."

"Eleven!" Joanna corrected.

"Yes, definitely _at least_ an eleven."

"Fine! Eleven, then. Happy?"

"Not particularly. Rosie, dear," Cynthia hopped onto the bed beside her, held her hands, and looked her earnestly in the eye, "It's time for you give up this _illusion_ of dislike, revulsion, even! when you talk about him. He's a _really_ hot guy, no point denying it, and it's absolutely _normal_ to _like_ guys like him when you're this age."

"But she won't admit she likes him, obviously," Joanna sighed.

"Ahh, it's just I don't know _what _to feel for –about him. I mean, we've been set up against each other since…since the first day of Hogwarts, since we were _born_ you could say. He's a Malfoy, I'm a Weasley, a Granger, I'm practically a Potter too, and we've always been competing for grades and stuff, and now we're all _teenagers_ and all of a sudden he's flirting, or just going crazy, and how the hell am I supposed to react?"

"You could just ask him out, or wait for him to ask you. Hogsmeade weekends are coming up, you know," Cynthia offered, "Even if it's awkward and stuff, at least it'll be gotten over with, instead of this weird avoiding-each-other-making-awkward-comments-and-taking-it-out-on-your-friends thing, right?"

"Maybe…but I don't like him!"

"Oh _really_?"

"Honestly! He's rude to everyone except his friends, he's the epitome of an inbred snotty Pureblood, and such a showoff! How could I possibly like him? And he's Al's best friend, that's just so _so_ not right!"

"Well…" Cynthia and Joanna began together, both looking uncommonly pensive. "It could be just hormones, or he really is cra –"

"God, enough of this melodrama!" Actaea yelled, slamming down her writing materials, "Rose, it's obvious what's happening."

"And what's happening?" she replied cautiously, unsure of what to make of this sudden outburst.

"Rose: you're a thirteen year old witch. You're an excellent student, a pretty popular girl, and quite pretty. Our dear Scorpius is a thirteen year old wizard. Excellent student, also popular, and _devilishly_ handsome. So…"

"So what?"

"You have a crush on him, duh! And he obviously has a crush on you too!"

"_He_ has a crush –no way! If _he _had a crush on me, then he would have to find me a –attractive! And then _I _would have to find _him _attractive too –which I do –no! What?" Rose gasped, literally keeling over from the shock of her realization. Cynthia quickly caught her and leaned her against the bedpost.

"Um…Rose, are you okay?"

"God, what the hell?" Rose squeaked, eyes wide in horror.

"It's gonna be all right…right? Rose…really, no need to be like this…" she attempted to comfort her.

"Yeah, it's _perfectly_ normal to have a crush, right?" Joanna offered.

"Really, you're all a bunch of drama queens," scoffed Actaea.

"I have a crush on Scorpius Malfoy," Rose muttered under her breath, then louder, "I have a crush on Scorpius Malfoy!"

"Yes…you do…" Cynthia replied uneasily.

"I'M ATTRACTED TO SCORPIUS MALFOY! I HAVE A BLOODY CRUSH ON SCORPIUS _MALFOY_!" she shouted, really beginning to hyperventilate.

Joanna glanced nervously towards the open doorway, where the sounds of the raucous Gryffindor common room wafted into their own dorm room. Or rather, at that moment, the absolute silence that only a room of typically loud and boisterous teenagers can have in a moment of complete astonishment.

**A/N: Cliff-hanger! Who's excited?**

**Like I (may have) promised, Rose is finally confronted by her friends regarding her **_**true**_** feelings toward that adorable blond we know and love. Didn't make sense? Try listening to everyone else's relationship issues. Thanks to all the lovely reviewers, as always.**

**Review?**


End file.
